


Prompt Fills: PNWS/PRA edition

by Aedriane



Category: Tanis (Podcast), The Black Tapes Podcast
Genre: Gen, I hope these don't come off as super ooc, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Just playing in the sandbox with someone else's toys, most of these are AU, most of these are outside canonical events, most of these take place in futures that most likely won't happen or exist, stories with spoilers will be marked as such in the notes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-08-19 16:54:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8217781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aedriane/pseuds/Aedriane
Summary: I'm part of a Discord server where prompts are posted daily. These are the things I write for some of those prompts that are PNWS/PRA-related. Most of them will be standalone scenes.





	1. August 12, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If you don't let me in that room, he's going to die, and then you and I are going to have a problem. Understand?"
> 
> Spoilers up to TBT 212 can be inferred.

"You should know by now, Alex. I really don't care if you have a problem with me." Alex stared at him in disbelief, maybe with a hint of disgust.

"I thought you were trying to save people. Nic is going to die!" She tried again to make a break for the door, but Strand was faster. She struggled against him.

"It's too late to save him, Alex!" He managed, trying to hold her back. "The most we can do now is get away and keep ourselves alive." Those words made Alex stop. Almost as soon as Strand had let her go, she was facing him, backing off.

"Too late?" She asked quietly, yet in an incredulous tone. "What if it were Coralee in there?! Would you just leave her?"

"Coralee knew the risks, as did I. If she were in Nic's situation, she wouldn't want me to die trying to save her."

"And that...that doesn't phase you at all?" "...How the hell are you so calm about all this, anyways?" Strand didn't answer. The ensuing silence was only broken when a burst of familiar static erupted from the radio on Alex's belt.

"We've got to get out of here." Strand muttered, grabbing Alex's hand and quickly pulling her down the hall. She tried to stand her ground, even a little, but it felt as if most of her energy had drained away in the moments before.


	2. September 19, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Everyone's eye color changes to reflect their mood. However, yours are always an icy blue."
> 
> Implied spoilers up to TBT 211??

"So, Dr. Strand."  
"Yes?"  
"What's up with your eyes?"

Ah, yes. The eye color thing. It had to have come up eventually. To be honest, he had expected an inquisitive spirit such as Alex to have asked about it much sooner.

"That's a very personal question to ask." He responded in his typical deadpan, raising an eyebrow. Alex shrugged, her now hazel eyes lightening a bit.  
"Just curious, that's all."  
"Hm..." he began, "You're not trying to connect this to anything else, are you?" His tone had become somewhat stern. Part of him was growing tired of Alex Reagan and her expedition into his past, especially after her more recent finds.

"Of course not!" She sighed, closing her eyes before throwing him a hard stare. And there it was, the signal that the annoyance he felt was mutual, but then also that Alex was indeed free of any ulterior motives: her eyes had darkened into a brown that almost matched her pupils. Strand chuckled, despite himself.

"Well..." A lot of the time, when asked about his eyes, he would pass it off as a symbol of his continued search for the truth, or even his constant skepticism. Whichever he thought would appeal more to the one asking, in order to keep them from trying to dig any deeper. Alex was much too familiar with him at this point for that approach to work, and, honestly, it felt wrong trying to pass it off on her regardless. "Would you believe that it's my mood is perpetually 'reasonable'?" He asked while adjusting his glasses, his usual tone unchanging. After a moment, Alex dropped the stare, her expression dumbfounded and eyes shifting to a deep teal as it appeared to dawn on her.

"Was that... Was that supposed to be a joke?" She asked quietly, as though she were trying to contain laughter. Her attempts slowly failed as any attempts to speak dissolved into quiet giggles. Strand couldn't help but give a wry smirk in response, his eyes just as stark and chilly as always. He waited for Alex to calm down before deciding that he would indeed be truthful with her.

"To be completely honest with you, though..." He trailed off, making sure he had her attention again, then huffed, "I'm not sure." That was the truth to it, simply. Another mystery tacked onto him and his past. He was certain Alex would have a field day with it, but at this point, it wasn't right - or even very possible - to lie to her. However, she just stared at him with another blank expression, her eyes taking on more of a murky grey, like rain clouds. He didn't quit understand, but he couldn't bring himself to question her, at least, not immediately. When he did look up to speak, however, she beat him to it.

"You're...not even a little sure?" She asked quietly, her expression now concerned, her eyes still grey. 

"I..." He started, then closed his eyes and shook his head, "No, not at all." He hoped she wouldn't push it any further. If he believed in wishes, he would have wished for it. He couldn't stand seeing other people getting concerned over him for very long. Alex must have sensed this, as he heard her shift in her chair before speaking, her tone lighter than before.

"Well, if it's any consolation, it does help with the mysterious vibe you have going on." Strand looked up to see her smiling in a slightly mischievous way, her eyes a golden brown, a color he hadn't seen much of on her, lately.

"What mysterious vibe?" He asked her, with a questioning look, partially returning her expression with is own smirk. He knew what she was referring to, though, and truthfully, he did like the idea. It made it that much easier to hide the things he didn't want others to see. However, it also made it so much harder to connect with the people he wanted to.


	3. First of 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this wasn't based off of a prompt, but it ended up kinda short, so I'll put it with the other TBT/Tanis fiction. Just a little silliness.

He passed by one of the studios, but slowed when he heard a familiar tune - one that he didn't even need to think about to know at this point. It was Kingdom of the Universe, the song they were using as the intro to The Black Tapes Podcast. Of course, it wasn't unusual to hear the song in passing for that reason, but Nic had specifically noted that there was no editing to be done today. Alex was out at an interview, one of many she had scheduled this week, while he was supposed to be collecting and going through research materials for Tanis.

A quick glance through the window showed him that Dr. Strand was in the room, looking over what appeared to be his own research. He did remember Alex mentioning that the doctor was going to be in this part of the world for a while, working out of his father's old house, but no one had mentioned him dropping by. Nic thought he may have found something, and maybe he was listening to an older episode, trying to confirm it. Alex did say the man multitasked more than any one person should. Nic was indeed curious now, but he had his own facts to pour over. He would know in good time. Likewise, it was a bad idea to keep MK waiting.

Later that day, Nic found himself joining Dr. Strand in his informational endeavors. Alex was getting something to eat, which was the most Nic could do to get her out of the office for a while. She was still shaken up from their little discovery earlier that month. Hell, he was, too, but he had Tanis and Geoff's enthusiasm for beer to keep it off of his mind. Alex's work revolved around the causes and the effects of it, among other disturbing things. In typical Alex fashion, though, she was adamant in continuing and refused to take time off to rest. He would be lying if he said he wasn't worried.

In any case, she was out and about for the time being, and he was in the corner of a large room, surrounded by his laptop, some large, old books, several folders, and a few scattered papers. It was...mostly organized, but it worked for him. Dr. Strand, who was seated at the table in the center of the room, had his materials arranged a lot more efficiently. Most of both piles were straight from Strand's father's house, which had been untouched for years beforehand. They were quite heavy and seemed like they were well kept, so Nic treated them with the respect that he could. The relevant information he found went straight into a word document, where it would be sorted, trimmed, and presented later. He had just finished documenting a pretty long section of one book, and reached upwards, stretching.

"Nic."  
"Yep?" When Strand didn't respond right away, Nic turned. "You...find something?"  
"No."  
"No?" Nic both looked and sounded confused.  
"I have a question for you, Nic."  
"...Okay, shoot." Dr. Strand was never one to indulge in Nic's attempts at casual conversation during research, much less throw his own out. He seemed to think for a moment.  
"Did you sing the theme song for the podcast?" Nic immediately grinned, facing away from the good doctor. It took a lot to avoid laughing, even a little. The question was sincere, and Nic didn't want to seem like he was laughing at Strand himself.  
"I didn't, no." He answered, a bit cheerfully. "It was Terry, our producer. We're, uh, cousins."  
"Oh." Strand replied simply before going quiet again. Nic shrugged and returned to his research. Or he tried to, at least. He was asked the very same question on Twitter at least once every few days, and he would answer each time and move on. It had stopped bothering him a long time ago, but now that it was Dr. Strand asking, the question wouldn't leave him alone.  
"...Does it really sound like me?" He asked no one in particular, sounding genuinely mystified, rather than annoyed.  
"I think so." Strand replied nonchalantly, flipping through a particularly thick book.  
"So does half of Twitter." Nic quipped, looking over in the other man's direction. That earned him a wry smirk, one of the doctor's trademarked expressions.  
"You have observant fans."  
"You have no idea." Nic said with a slight chuckle. "Still, though, it's..." Weird? Strange? No, he and Alex had enough weird and strange to blow this out of the water. "Odd." Not much better, but he took it. "We're _cousins_. How alike could cousins sound?"  
"Actually..." Strand trailed off, but continued before Nic could stop him. "What if we did an experiment?"

"Come again?" Nic looked at the doctor strangely. First of all, he wasn't expecting the question. Second of all, what?  
"The easiest way to prove something either way is to test it out."  
"...Are you asking me to sing, Dr. Strand?"  
"Not asking. Merely giving you the option."  
"...Would it be okay? I mean, we are supposed to be doing research." Nic motioned to the piles of books stacked around him and in front of Strand.  
"I know you can multitask. In fact, the results would benefit from it." Nic just looks at Strand, still trying to process things. The doctor took the opportunity to elaborate. "If you focus too much on how you sound, it could alter the outcome, even subconsciously."  
"Dr. Strand... Are you feeling all right?"  
"Yes, I'm feeling fine." Nic sighed, almost doubting that before turning back to his makeshift work station. Of course, he felt put on the spot like this, like Dr. Strand was staring at his back as he resumed his work. He started out humming the tune in question, not feeling like he could start cold. After the first refrain, he felt a little more relaxed and a bit less absurd.

_"Oh my Lord, here's a just reward. Bring me my devil. Just behind the door, she said, and flies down the road like thunder.  
Home at last, but you're fading fast. A friendly face, an icy glass. The last song sung, and freedom is atoned."_ Before he had even finished the verse, Nic had become absorbed in his work, though still singing lowly. It wasn't until he notice a familiar smell broke his focus. The local take-out place. He looked up before turning around to see a clear plastic bag stacked with the boxes that confirmed his guess, with Alex Reagan standing over them. "Oh, uh... hi."

"Hi." She sounded more than a bit surprised. She was also smiling halfway. Oh no.  
"How, um... How much of that did you hear?"  
"Enough to wonder why you don't sing often. Here, I brought some lunch." She then began to take the boxes from the bag and set them on the table. Nic looked to Dr. Strand, who seemed absorbed in the book he was reading.  
"I'll join you in a minute." He said distractedly before taking down some notes.


End file.
